Christianna McRae 1847-1883

Christianna McRae

Christianna McRae
from the photo album of Eliza Bourne nee MacRae

According to the diary of her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Ann MacRae nee Loseby, Christianna was born on 15 November 1847, and from the transcription of her Death Certificate she was born at Bringelly near Liverpool.

Birth of Christianna MacRae
from the diary of Elizabeth Ann MacRae nee Loseby

Little is known of Christianna's early formative years. What we know about the MacRaes first 19 years in Australia is based on the baptismal records of Christianna and some of her siblings: Farquhar, Christopher John, Catherine, and Jeanette, were born at Cowpastures, Campbelltown, Bringelly near Liverpool, and probably Cabramatta respectively. It would not be until 1856, shortly before Christianna's ninth birthday, that the family finally settled in Lower Mittagong.

In 1871 when she was 24 years old, Christianna's mother Barbara died of consumption, now known as tuberculosis. Tuberculosis, although widespread, was only just beginning to be recognised as a contagious disease at this time. It wasn't until many years later in 1906 that the first break through in vaccine research occurred. The first vaccine, BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin), was not used medically on humans until 1921, far too late to prevent the deaths of the MacRaes.

At the time of Barbara's death, Christianna was the youngest of the surviving children of Farquhar and Barbara, her two younger sisters, Catherine and Jeanette, having already passed away. She was also the only daughter still living at home, so it is very likely that she took on the responsibility of caring for her father and her brothers, and managing the house. Three of her brothers, Alexander, Farquhar, and Christopher, were probably also still at home as they would not marry until 1879, 1877, and 1878 respectively.

These would have been physically difficult times for Christianna, especially as she had possibly already contracted tuberculosis from her mother, or her sister Catherine who died the previous year in 1870. Perhaps Christianna was already showing signs of illness and perhaps this is the reason that she never married. 

Christianna died of consumption (tuberculosis) on 9 September 1883, aged 35, twelve years after her mother's death. She is buried in the Marist Brothers Cemetery, Mittagong.  Her death and burial are recorded on the headstone of her father, Farquhar, who was to die nearly ten years later in 1892.

Headstone of Farquhar, Christianna and Andrew McRae
Marist Brothers Cemetery, Lower Mittagong

Advertisement for the Auction
of Farquhar's properties

Shortly after Christianna's death, Farquhar advertised his cattle, household goods, and land for sale. It is not certain whether the land mentioned in the auction to be held on 24 November 1883 was the two properties that Farquhar owned in Lower Mittagong. It is described as '[h]is magnificent farm, about 300 acres, right under the range, well sheltered, watered, with good homestead and orchard.' As the combined size of Farquhar's two properties in Lower Mittagong, which is under the range, totals 292 acres and 3 roods, this could be the property being auctioned. No record of the sale of the land has been found. This is consistent with the properties being passed to his son Christopher on his death in accordance with his will.

Many thanks to Julie MacRae, Ballina, and Lucas MacRae for kindly providing supporting documents, Michele Endicott, Brisbane, for the photo of Christianna, and Patrick MacRae, Helensburgh, for the extract from Elizabeth Ann MacRae nee Loseby's diary.

Mentioned on this page
 ● 1883 'Advertising', Bowral Free Press and Mittagong, Burrawang and Kangaloon Advocate (NSW : 1883 - 1884), 17 November, p. 3., viewed 12 May 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112454440
Further reading on the history of tuberculosis
 ● Frith, John, “History of Tuberculosis. Part 1 – Phthisis, Consumption and the White Plague”, Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health vol. 22, no. No. 2, June 2014, https://jmvh.org/article/history-of-tuberculosis-part-1-phthisis-consumption-and-the-white-plague/, viewed 13 April 2019.
 ● Johnson, Alice A., et al. Household Companion: The Family Doctor, M.L. Dewsnap, 1909, https://chestofbooks.com/health/reference/Household-Companion/The-Family-Doctor/index.html, viewed 13 April 2019.
 ● Luca, Simona, and Mihaescu, Traian, “History of BCG Vaccine.” Maedica vol. 8, no. 1, Mar. 2013, pp. 53–58, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3749764/, viewed 13 April 2019.